Adaptation to grass-eating in gelada baboons |
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Authors: | R I M Dunbar Utpaul Bose |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Anthropology, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT London, England |
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Abstract: | Gelada faecal samples were analyzed for nutritional content and for particle size, and compared with similar data forPapio baboons, cattle, and zebra. Particle size in gelada is similar to that for zebra, larger than that for cattle and smaller
than that for baboons. Gelada and baboons are less efficient than ungulates at extracting protein from their diet. The data
on energy extraction are less easy to interpret and appear to be confounded by dietary and seasonal factors. It is suggested
that gelada may be too large to compete effectively with ruminants in low altitude grassland habitats under the climatic conditions
that have prevailed in eastern Africa since the late Pleistocene. |
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Keywords: | Gelada baboons Nutritional ecology Food processing adaptations |
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